Buffalo

Let’s fall in love

by Katie Welker

While I believe I am quite the confident young woman, I still try to be as humble and grounded as possible. But when it comes to promoting a cause that I am involved in and believe in, all of that modesty goes completely out the window.

If you haven’t heard already, I am a part of the inaugural “Date on Purpose” event — a charity dating auction that has a twist:

“Live event bachelor, bachelorette auctions exist all the time, we have them here. What we’re doing that’s different is we’ve added an online component. So people can get online and bid for some of Buffalo’s most eligible singles,” entrepreneur and organizer Frank Gullo said.

Place the top bid and you win a date with your chosen bachelor/bachelorette, with the money going to help fund the brand new John Oishei Childrens Hospital being built on Buffalo’s medical campus.

I mean, c’mon… why wouldn’t I get involved and put myself up for bid? I’m young, single, adore my city and its charities, and am completely shameless about the fact that I love love. It’s really a perfect event for me to be a part of.

However, i’m not available online, folks. If you want to win a date with me, you have to attend the live event this Friday. Gotta put in that extra effort to get together with this quirky blonde!

I’m crossing my fingers that my sarcasm and ridiculous amounts of energy is incentive enough for you eligible bachelors to walk through that door, donate your hard earned money to a good cause and get to know me better.

Yikes, that’s daunting. I tend to tackle situations that initially scare me a bit, though, so this is no different.

Perhaps my answers to these questions will entice you to attend the live event. Or you can watch me be awkward on camera in this video:

Who knows, maybe my future husband is reading this. Hey, it could happen! It’s a long shot, but I have been mocked for worse things than believing love can sneak up on you at any time — or in this case, bid on you.

Take a chance. If you’re lucky, you’ll fall in love. If not, I guarantee you’ll still meet some fantastic individuals while simultaneously donating to an extremely worthwhile cause.

So go ahead. Date on Purpose.

Date on Purpose
Yours truly.

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Get your tickets for the live event before time runs out.

See what Channel 7 News and Buffalo.com have to say about Date on Purpose.

Run with it

by Katie Welker

If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.

Several months ago, my boss brought me into his office and said in so many words, “I think this project would be good for you. Run with it.” The project he was talking about was “Press in the Flesh,” a portrait series by local artist Max Collins. The project wasn’t just good for me, it was a blessing in disguise and a true eye-opener in terms of the direction I want my “professional” life to head in.

The idea for “Press in the Flesh” came about a few years ago at The University of Michigan when Max photographed writer and activist Tom Hayden, printed his portrait on top of his school’s paper, The Michigan Daily, and pasted it onto a plywood canvas. Since then, he has wanted to do the project on a larger scale to include all of the characters behind the production of a daily newspaper. Cue The Buffalo News, my current employer.

The original piece of writer/activist Tom Hayden. Portrait by Max Collins.
The original piece: writer/activist Tom Hayden. Portrait by Max Collins.

The past several months have been filled with days that feel much less like work and much more like what I’m supposed to be doing with my time and skill set. The success of last night’s opening reception for the gallery was the cherry on top of a great experience.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I could get into all of the responsibilities that I ended up overseeing and managing, but they’re practically irrelevant. It took so many people to make this show possible and I was blessed to interact with open-minded, flexible and cooperative individuals who, at the end of the day, really appreciated the project for the value and heart that it possesses.

Of course there were mishaps that some people will never know about. There was skepticism and doubt and maybe some of those feelings still exist in some people’s minds. And that’s okay; it’s inevitable. My measure of success for this project was weather or not Max was able to create work that resonated with others and conveyed the message that he wanted. And that’s just what he did. The work is beautiful and tells a story that is so timeless.

Max in the press room at The Buffalo News with one of the pieces of the collection.
Max in the press room at The Buffalo News with one of the pieces of the collection. Picture by Katie Costello.

I’m always trying to focus my efforts and my time on projects, people and events that simply make me happy. That seems like a really obvious statement, but sometimes it takes a lot of effort to make sure your priorities are ones that revolve around your happiness.

The past year and a half has felt like one giant learning curve in how to figure out the best way to place my happiness at the top of my priority list. But I have this gut feeling that I’m right on the brink of something wonderful and intrinsically fulfilling. Maybe i’m wrong, I really have no idea. But the road that I’m blindly walking down sure feels like it’s leading me to a beautiful place. 

Congratulations on a kick ass show, Max. And again, thank you to everyone who helped and supported an amazing collection of art.

Max and me at the opening reception. August 2nd, 2013.
Max and I at the opening reception. August 2nd, 2013.